Tag: Keyon Brown

Oklahoma Sooners targeting a pair of wide receivers in the transfer portal

Oklahoma is looking to add to their wide receiver ranks with offers to a couple of transfer portal wideouts, RaRa Thomas and Dante Cephas. From @john9williams

As the transfer portal officially opened on Monday, the Oklahoma Sooners saw some depth walk out the door. Mostly, it’s been players that saw little to no playing time for Oklahoma in 2022, but at wide receiver, they’ve seen a bit more attrition.

[autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag] made it known last week he’d be entering the portal, and on Monday, [autotag]Brian Darby[/autotag] and [autotag]Trevon West[/autotag] also put their names in the transfer portal.

With the college football world doing some portal shopping, it looks like the Sooners are targeting a couple of wide receivers early in the process. Oklahoma offered Mississippi State transfer wide receiver [autotag]RaRa Thomas[/autotag] and Kent State wideout [autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag].

Thomas was a three-star prospect in the 2021 cycle and put up 44 receptions for 626 yards and seven touchdowns for the Bulldogs in 2022. Cephas was also a three-star player in the 2019 class and recorded 48 receptions for 744 yards and three touchdowns.

Cephas had four receptions for 50 yards against Oklahoma in week two of the season, but his high moment came against Ohio, where he posted 13 receptions for 246 yards and a touchdown.

Thomas posted 5 receptions for 134 yards and a touchdown in a win against Texas A&M, went for 8 and 73 against Alabama, and recorded six catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn.

Though [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] is playing in the bowl game, there’s a strong possibility that’s his last for the Sooners with an NFL draft decision looming. If Mims were to declare for the draft, that would leave Oklahoma with [autotag]Jalil Faroo[/autotag]q and [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] as the only Sooners wide receivers to play significant snaps in Norman.

The Sooners added [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag] and [autotag]L.V. Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag] in the portal late last spring, but they didn’t see the field much, so it’s difficult to know where they stand with the coaching staff. Both have experience from their previous stops and have playmaking ability, but Oklahoma would be wise to add some more depth.

Oklahoma will have quite a few young guys competing for snaps, like [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], and Freeman, along with incoming freshmen [autotag]Keyon Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] (assuming they sign).

We’ll see if Oklahoma’s able to close on either Cephas or Thomas, but it’s clear they believe they need to add some wide receiver depth in the portal this offseason to put them in a better position to contend in 2023.

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Sooners lose WR commit Anthony Evans III, flips to Georgia

Oklahoma took a loss this week as the Sooners lose 2023 WR commit Anthony Evans. Evans flipped to Georgia on Friday. From @thatmanbryant

In one week, the Oklahoma Sooners experienced the full emotions of the recruiting spectrum. They racked up four defensive commits giving them extra reasons to be thankful on Thanksgiving.

Today they’re experiencing the opposite end of the recruiting spectrum. Black Friday was just that for Oklahoma who lost four-star wide receiver Anthony Evans flipped his commitment from the Oklahoma Sooners to the Georgia Bulldogs.

The flip comes as no surprise to those who follow Oklahoma recruiting closely as Evans has taken multiple visits to UGA despite his commitment to Oklahoma on August 26th.

The connection with Georgia was very real,  considering he was down to either Oklahoma or Georgia for his initial commitment in the first place. His mother is a big Georgia fan and even in the graphic where he commits to UGA it included, “My mama’s dream come true.”

The 5-foot-11, 167-pound Evans has explosive athleticism, and he’s a 10.27 guy in the 100m dash and 24-foot plus long jumper. That would have been a treat to have as a slot receiver for Oklahoma to pair with the rest of the offensive pieces they are assembling.

With Evans now exiting the class, the Sooners only have two receivers committed: Jaquaize Pettaway and Keyon Brown.

Evans is the fourth prospect to commit to Brent Venables and then later decommit in the ’23 class, joining names like Ashton Cozart (Oregon), edge rusher Colton Vasek (Texas) and linebacker Kaleb Spencer (Miami).

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Updated Oklahoma Sooners 2023 commitment tracker

Which players have committed to the Oklahoma Sooners for the 2023 recruiting cycle?

The 2023 class is about a month away from early signing day and less than three months away from national signing day.

Since Brent Venables’ arrival in Norman, the Sooners have been one of the top recruiting schools in the country over the last two cycles. After finishing eighth in 247Sports team recruiting rankings for 2022, the Sooners sit at No. 7 and have a great chance to move into the top five by national signing day.

With the recent additions of Ashton Sanders and Taylor Wein, Oklahoma has 22 players committed to the 2023 class. Recent projections favor the Sooners to add more talent if the Rivals Futurecasts come to fruition. Oklahoma received a pair of projections from Rivals analysts to land five-star safety and Notre Dame commit Peyton Bowen after he spent time in Norman for Bedlam.

Brent Venables, his coaching staff, and the recruiting support staff have done an excellent job over the last year building out their 2023 recruiting class and they don’t appear close to being done.

The final tally will come on national signing day, but the Oklahoma Sooners look well-positioned to have one of the country’s best group of signees.

Let’s take a look at the updated commitment tracker.

Jackson Arnold and Oklahoma’s 2023 commits stand out on Friday Night

Oklahoma’s 2023 recruiting class stood out this week with several big performances across the country.

The Oklahoma Sooners 2023 recruiting class had another big week under the lights to further excite the Oklahoma fan base. The top five recruiting class has players making cases for bumps in their star status but more importantly look like guys who will be playmakers in Norman.

Five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold had another big night for Denton Guyer. Arnold and his Denton Guyer teammates continued their undefeated season with a 62-7 win over Braswell on Friday night.

In other Texas high school football action, Colton Vasek did what Colton Vasek does, ruining the evening for Dripping Springs offensive linemen.

But Arnold and Vasek weren’t the only Oklahoma commits to have big games this week. Two of the more underrated players in the recruiting class, Erik McCarty and Kade McIntyre, were dominant for their squads leading to big nights in Oklahoma and Nebraska high school football action.

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from the week.

Oklahoma 2023 commits shine under the Friday Night Lights

Friday night is for high school football, and several Oklahoma 2023 commits stood out under the lights!

The Oklahoma Sooners No. 5 ranked 2023 recruiting class has provided a glimpse of what’s coming to Norman next year. In the early going, they’ve provided some fantastic moments for their squads and helped feed the excitement surrounding the Sooners class.

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] has been must-see television whenever you can find him as he’s had a productive start to the season to help Denton Guyer get off to a 4-0 start. But he’s not the only one having a fantastic senior season thus far. OUDNA is showing up and showing out across the country, and on Friday night, several prospects turned in highlight-reel performances.

Kalib Hicks turned in a fantastic outing for Denton Ryan, and Samuel Omosigho showed off his athleticism.

Makari Vickers commits to Oklahoma, choosing the Sooners over the Crimson Tide

Oklahoma’s newest commit, defensive back Makari Vickers, committed to the Sooners over Alabama and Michigan on Friday.

Oklahoma’s hot summer on the recruiting trail continues as they have landed their third four-star cornerback this summer.

Makari Vickers, a cornerback from Tallahassee, Florida committed to the Sooners on Friday evening at the halftime of his first game of the season. He’s the second commitment the Sooners received Friday night after Anthony Evans pledged to play for the Sooners in 2023.

Vickers joins a cornerback room that added four-stars Jasiah Wagoner andJacobe Johnson earlier this summer. He also officially becomes the 22nd commit for the class of 2023 for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Vickers had been trending in favor of Oklahoma since early August with a decision date being a mere formality at that point. Most of the summer was a real battle between Oklahoma, Alabama, and the third finalist in Michigan but ultimately Oklahoma just pulled away.

He also gets to join friend and fellow Tallahassee native Keyon Brown as a Sooner. Brown, a four-star receiver committed to Oklahoma in the aftermath of Ashton Cozart’s flip to Oregon.

Vickers is a consensus four-star player adds tremendous versatility to the back end of this new defense. He’s lined up as a safety and cornerback for Robert F. Munroe Day School but is being recruited by Jay Valai as a corner for right now.

Beating out the likes of Alabama for a four-star recruit in the southeastern part of the United States is no small feat. It’s something that should warrant a pat on the back for Jay Valai and the rest of the Oklahoma staff. It also gives a perfect glimpse of what Oklahoma can do on the recruiting trail with better defensive recruiters than they had under the previous regime.

With the commitment of the talented four-star defensive back, Oklahoma strengthens its footing firmly in the top 10 in team recruiting rankings while putting themselves on the verge of a top five class.

Makari Vickers’ Recruiting Profile

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Oklahoma Sooners 2023 recruiting class commitment tracker

Oklahoma Sooners 2023 commitment tracker

The Oklahoma Sooners 2023 recruiting class is coming together quite nicely after a strong June, July, and start to August.

Since June 1, the Sooners have added 15 commitments. They added nine commitments in July, with eight rated as four-star players. Also, in July, quarterback Jackson Arnold saw his stock rise after winning the Elite 11 MVP award, earning five-star status.

Their 2023 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings and No. 9 according to the On3 Consensus.

Oklahoma is still awaiting decisions from five-star defensive lineman [autotag]David Hicks[/autotag], four-star cornerback [autotag]Makari Vickers[/autotag], four-star athlete [autotag]Malachi Coleman[/autotag], and four-star wide receiver [autotag]Anthony Evans[/autotag]. With those dominoes still to fall, the Sooners could see their class push into the top three by national signing day.

While we await the next commitment to the 2023 recruiting class, here’s a look at who’s locked in and where they rank in the 247Sports composite and the On3 consensus rankings.

Recruits react to time spent with the Oklahoma Sooners at Brent Venables Camp

Closing out the month of July with incredible momentum, the Oklahoma Sooners hosted recruits for Brent Venables’ football camp.

Oklahoma Sooners recruiting is on fire over the last month, adding nine commitments and pushing their class to No. 6 in the 247Sports team composite rankings. With several more players expected to commit to the Sooners in the 2023 cycle, the Sooners have a shot at earning a top-three recruiting class when it’s all said and done.

With July coming to a close and fall camp right around the corner, the Sooners took the opportunity to host recruits across the next three cycles at Brent Venables Football Camp earlier this week.

Venables’ camp has been huge for the Sooners, who found two members of their 2023 recruiting class in [autotag]Keyon Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Jasiah Wagoner[/autotag] earlier this summer. Casting a wide net over the next few cycles, Venables and his coaching staff are hoping to find players for the future as well as pour into the next crop of collegiate athletes.

With Oklahoma recruiting trending, let’s take a look at what some of the best social media reactions from recruits who camped with the Sooners this week.

Oklahoma Sooners receive predictions for 2023 OT Logan Howland with recruitment winding down

With his commitment winding down, 2023 offensive tackle Logan Howland looks to be trending toward the Oklahoma Sooners.

The last 10 days have been fruitful for the Oklahoma Sooners, who’ve landed commitments from four prospects: [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag], [autotag]Samuel Omosigho[/autotag], [autotag]Phil Picciotti[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag].

Oklahoma’s work on the recruiting trail is paying off and will provide further returns as we get deeper into the month of July.

Still awaiting decisions from several highly regarded prospects, the Oklahoma Sooners appear trending in the right direction with another three-star offensive lineman. Oklahoma received predictions from Rivals and 247Sports to land [autotag]Logan Howland[/autotag] out of New Jersey.

Like Heath Ozaeta and [autotag]Keyon Brown[/autotag] before him, Howland received his Oklahoma offer in April. But it hasn’t taken long for the Sooners to make an impression on the 6-foot-7 offensive tackle prospect. Bill Bedenbaugh’s efforts on the recruiting trail have impressed Howland, who included Oklahoma in his top four with Iowa, Michigan and Miami in May.

While only a three-star player at the moment, Howlandhas drawn the attention of several big-time programs. In addition to his top four, he’s received offers from Michigan State, Tennessee and Kentucky.

In May, Howland told RutgersWire’s Kristian Dyer that Penn State and Michigan were the leaders for his commitment. Bedenbaugh’s recruitment has certainly swayed him as the offensive line prospect now looks to be headed to Norman.

Howland will make his decision on July 9, 2022.

Logan Howland’s Recruiting Profile

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Oklahoma Sooners land commitment from 2023 4-star RB Kalib Hicks

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up another 2023 commitment, this time from four-star running back Kalib Hicks out of Denton Ryan.

The ball is rolling for the Oklahoma Sooners with the 2023 recruiting class. They’ve recently picked up commitments from Keyon Brown and Kade McIntyre and have added another with four-star running back, Kalib Hicks.

Coming out of Denton Ryan, Hicks is currently the only running back committed to the 2023 class. He joins three-star center Joshua Bates, five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold, and four-star wide receiver Keyon Brown on the offensive side of the ball as Jeff Lebby looks to put his stamp on the recruiting class.

In 2021, Hicks rushed for 1,448 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 6.7 yards per carry for state champion Denton Ryan. In 2020, he carried the ball 119 times for 851 yards and seven touchdowns for an average of 7.15 yards per carry.

According to the 247Sports Composite rating, Hicks is the No. 24 running back in the country and the No. 63 player in the state of Texas. On3 has him as the No. 69 player in Texas and the No. 29 running back.

His recruitment with the Sooners was a quick one. The Sooners offered a scholarship back in May and Hicks took an official visit on June 11. Just a few days later, he was committed to the Sooners.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.